Love
by newyork24-7
Summary: Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop.


**The idea of this came from a quote I saw while looking for quotes for HHNF.**

**Again it's somewhat different to what I'd normally write, so I'd be interested in knowing what you all think of it.**

**As for after the last line break, I'll leave you to decide which of the couple I'm referring to.**

* * *

**_Love_**

**_Begins with a smile_**

It had started with a smile of greeting, and grown from there.

She loved his smile because it was when she saw that confident, overly cocky side, and even though she normally played it safe when it came to her choice of men – with a few notable exceptions, that she felt just proved the rule – when she saw his smile she was tempted to throw caution to the wind. And even though he could infuriate her beyond belief at times, his smile could brighten up a dark day and make her feel somewhat in control again.

He loved her smile because she could be so serious at times that it was somewhat gratifying to him that he could provoke that reaction from her. If anything it made her smile all the more special to him. He loved the way her smile started at her eyes as they conveyed her amusement, until finally her lips turned upwards and she could no longer hide her feelings on the matter.

They had shared so many smiles over the years, each symbolizing different things.

They had smiled in happiness, offered the other a smile of comfort, or as was most common shared a smile regarding something that only the two of them would actually understand and find amusing.

In their long and complicated history it was the smiles they shared - whatever the reason that had prompted them - that they remembered and treasured.

* * *

**_Grows with a kiss_**

It had taken years for that first kiss to finally occur, it took so long in fact that most would assume that their relationship could never be anything more than platonic. While others might assume that it would cause the floodgates to open and prompt declarations of undying love.

In truth it did neither, however it did have an unexpected effect, especially considering that it was a moment taken on impulse in an attempt to convince an audience. What it did do was result in a crack appearing in the facade they'd built for themselves. It sparked feelings that neither had expected, and caused both to doubt any previous beliefs they'd both had regarding the fact that nothing could or would ever happen between them.

That being said it had undoubtedly happened at the wrong time, she was involved with someone else and his life was falling apart at the seams. The thought of that kiss stayed with them though, and months later, after facing a difficult case and after things had settled for him and her relationship had failed, they decided to take comfort from their usual routine of getting drunk together. That night though, the routine became anything but, and what was meant to be a comforting peck on the cheek had somehow morphed into something more, the cracked facade surrounding them finally crumbling.

After that they didn't look back even once, the kisses they shared grew in number and became a staple of their relationship, as the kisses they gave quite often conveyed what they weren't quite able to say in words.

* * *

**_And ends with a teardrop_**

The end came quickly and suddenly, plans that they had made together wiped out in an instant.

At first the shock and disbelief at what had happened had caused a delayed reaction, in that there wasn't one.

It was only later that day, in the home that they'd shared together and had filled with the rows and laughter they'd shared, that what had happened finally began to sink in.

A photograph of them together was removed from its frame, and was stared at with a burning intensity in an attempt to commit that smile to memory, to never forget it.

The tear when it came was solitary, although more would follow later. It tracked a damp trail on skin before finally dripping on the treasured picture below as the realisation hit home. The love they'd shared was gone, and only the memories of it remained, and the memories were a poor substitute indeed.


End file.
